A leading Evangelical Christian leftist met with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi about the hunger strike he is waging in protest of spending cuts Monday, saying the cuts pushed by the GOP are actively “targeting” the poor.

“There is a selective cruelty going on in this budget debate. Instead of focusing on where the real money is, some budget cutters are actually targeting vital and effective programs that support and protect poor people and some initiatives that are literally saving lives,” Jim Wallis, the CEO of Sojourners, said in a blog post.

Wallis and a group of like-minded activists began the hunger strike on March 28. They are drinking water. The group held a press conference at the National Press Club to announce the hunger strike.

So far, two short-term spending bills have cut $10 billion total. The president’s budget as proposed would result in a $1.2 trillion, or $1,200 billion, deficit in 2012, the Congressional Budget Office estimates.

Republicans proposed cutting $61 billion in H.R. 1 and their newly-released budget plans much steeper cuts over the next 10 years.